


Little Nightmares Theories and Lore Analysis

by Smiling_Seshat



Category: Little Nightmares (Video Games)
Genre: Character Study, Gen, Little Nightmares Lore, Lore Analysis, Meta
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-18
Updated: 2021-03-18
Packaged: 2021-03-27 10:29:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 705
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30121395
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Smiling_Seshat/pseuds/Smiling_Seshat
Summary: Chapter 1: The Twin Chefs and the Janitor: Former patients of the Doctor?
Comments: 2
Kudos: 7





	Little Nightmares Theories and Lore Analysis

I'm pretty sure no one has proposed this theory yet. I've kept away from reading other people's theories because I don't want to be too influenced, so this theory of mine is 100% original. It relies on some pretty small clues that the average player might not have paid attention to. So let me explain my thought process behind this theory:  
  
At one point while playing the second game, during your time in the hospital area, you encounter a room full of faces on the wall, and some face skins on a work table.  
  


  
(Image taken from ImMoncler's Twitch stream of LN2 which was live on the 18th of March 2021)

  
And during Little Nightmares 1, you see that the Janitor has the skin of his face that is peeling off. The upper half of his head has no skin, as it has rolled down and is bunched up around his eyes, forming a sort of blindfold that is presumably why he is blind, if not simply because his eyes are bad.  
  


  
(Image taken from Ratchet Noblewolf's playthrough of LN1)

  
  
  
The Chefs, too, are shown to have skin that is not entirely attached to their face.  
  
The skin appears detached around the neck area, so when they face away from the player and bend down, you can see under the skin of the nape of their neck.  
  
They also frequently stuff their hands under the skin to scratch at the face underneath.

  
_A brief glimpse of the neck area where the skin isn't attached properly, showing what's underneath._  
(Image taken from John Wolfe's Youtube playthrough of LN1)

  
_Chef scratching the area under his face._  
(Image taken from LiteWeight Gaming's LN1 Youtube playthrough)

  
  
Based on this, I strongly believe that the Chefs and the Janitor were probably once mannequins from the hospital that were given a more human-like appearance.  
  
It's very clear in the game that there is some form of magic, what with Six and Mono's powers, the fact that wooden children at the school and mannequins at the hospital can move despite looking to be made of wood instead of being sophisticated robots. There is clearly something supernatural happening.  
  
I think the Doctor's ability is to bring anything that appears human to life, as long as it has the right shape. The mannequins seem to have a chest and abdomen made of flesh, but usually their head (if there is one) and limbs are made of wood or plastic. I think some supernatural power is what allows them to move, for the individual digits on a hand to move, and for everything in the hospital to be able to see you despite often having no eyes.  
  
If the mannequins in the hospital are unfinished creations, then the Twin Chefs and the Janitor would be completed creations. The Doctor has given them a face taken from that wall full of hanging faces, and he has given them hands like those fleshy hands that will attack you in the hospital.  
  
This theory also explains why the Janitor does not bleed upon losing his arms. The arms twitch a little, but no blood comes out, not even a trickle. If these are false limbs like those of a mannequin, then it makes sense that they would not bleed.  
  
And to go even further, I do not think that the Twin Chefs and the Janitor are the only completed creations we see:  
  


  
(Image taken from John Wolfe's Youtube playthrough of Little Nightmares 1)

  
  
We can see here that one of the guests has also lost all of the skin covering his face, leaving it bunched up above his forehead, behind his ears and underneath his chin. He is resorting to using a white mask to serve as a face instead, fastened to his head.  
  
The frequency with which we see characters that have unattached skin around their head and the fact that the only hint we have been given is that wall of faces in the hospital area of Little Nightmares 2 makes me believe these people are former patients of the Doctor that were deemed successes and allowed to leave after the Doctor was done with them.  
  
What do you think? Could this theory hold some weight?


End file.
